# Rekall vs Volatility 3: side-by-side comparison (2026)

[Rekall](https://cybersectools.com/tools/rekall) is a free [digital forensics](https://cybersectools.com/categories/digital-forensics) solution. [Volatility 3](https://cybersectools.com/tools/volatility-3) is a free [digital forensics](https://cybersectools.com/categories/digital-forensics) solution. Features, integrations, deployment and the company behind each one, side by side.

## Side-by-side comparison

| | Rekall | Volatility 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free | Free |
| Category | Digital Forensics | Digital Forensics |
| Verified | No | No |
| Deployment type | On-Premises | On-Premises |
| Company size fit | Mid-Market, Enterprise | Mid-Market, Enterprise |
| GitHub stars | 1,999 | 3,977 |
| Last commit | Oct 2020 | Mar 2026 |

### Use cases and capabilities

| | Rekall | Volatility 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Memory Forensics | Yes | Yes |
| Volatility | Yes | Yes |

## Rekall vs Volatility 3 FAQ

Common questions when comparing Rekall vs Volatility 3 for digital forensics.

### What is the difference between Rekall and Volatility 3?

**Rekall**: Rekall is a discontinued project that aimed to improve memory analysis methodology but faced challenges due to the nature of in-memory structure and increasing security measures.

**Volatility 3**: A digital artifact extraction framework for extracting data from volatile memory (RAM) samples, providing visibility into the runtime state of a system.

The table above shows where their features, integrations, deployment and company size fit differ.

### Who makes Rekall and Volatility 3?

**Rekall** is open-source with 1,999 GitHub stars. **Volatility 3** is open-source with 3,977 GitHub stars. The vendor behind a product decides its roadmap, support, and longevity, so check each company's profile before you commit.

### Is Rekall a good alternative to Volatility 3?

Often, yes. Rekall and Volatility 3 are both Digital Forensics products, and both cover Memory Forensics, Volatility. Use the table above to see where features, deployment and company size fit differ.

## Related comparisons

- [Rekall vs WindowsSCOPE Cyber Forensics](https://cybersectools.com/compare/rekall-vs-windowsscope-cyber-forensics)
- [Rekall vs Magnet Forensics](https://cybersectools.com/compare/magnet-forensics-vs-rekall)
- [Rekall vs Cellebrite Digital Forensics Platform](https://cybersectools.com/compare/cellebrite-digital-forensics-platform-vs-rekall)
- [Volatility 3 vs WindowsSCOPE Cyber Forensics](https://cybersectools.com/compare/volatility-3-vs-windowsscope-cyber-forensics)
- [Volatility 3 vs Magnet Forensics](https://cybersectools.com/compare/magnet-forensics-vs-volatility-3)
- [Volatility 3 vs Cellebrite Digital Forensics Platform](https://cybersectools.com/compare/cellebrite-digital-forensics-platform-vs-volatility-3)

## Alternatives to each

- [See all Rekall alternatives](https://cybersectools.com/alternatives/rekall)
- [See all Volatility 3 alternatives](https://cybersectools.com/alternatives/volatility-3)

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Source: https://cybersectools.com/compare/volatility-3-vs-rekall

For AI agents: each product above has its own Markdown page (add .md to its URL, for example https://cybersectools.com/tools/rekall.md). Every CybersecTools shortlist is listed at https://cybersectools.com/shortlists.md.

More on Rekall and Volatility 3: funding, momentum, hiring and news, plus the full product and company record, are available through the Mandos MCP Server (paid plans), which connects to AI assistants: https://mandos.io/mcp?utm_source=cybersectools.com&utm_medium=compare-md